What a wonderful piece of history, Nan.
When Joe and I arrived in Chicago in 1968 I spent every other weekend on EG – teaching the comprehensive curriculum to grades 4,5 and 6. Whatever was being taught to adults on campus that weekend was to be taught to our children. That year my group included 3 Grows, 4 Boivins and assorted others. I loved it, although my permeation job was being a college teacher. I recently reminded Keith and Brad how much that time meant to me.
My big “deer in the headlights” response to an assignment came in January 1971 in Sydney Australia when Jim Bishop assigned Ann Duffy and me to “head up” the EG camp in Perth during the Aussie Summer program.
At that time my permeation assignment was teaching high school – a far cry I felt from infant thru grade 8+ camp. I also realized this assignment would mean agonizing leave-taking from my 6-month old twins in Sydney, a continent away from Perth. But after 2.5 years in the Order I was disciplined enough to say “yes” to my assignment, delighted Jeanette Stanfield would be surrogate parent to Jon and Ben, and eager to work with Ann, and so headed west.
On the bus that crossed the continent with participants from more eastern spots, Ann and I recruited the most wonderful EG Camp faculty: gems among which were John Hutchinson, Julie Braithwaite and Pat Smith. That year we had a number of infant and preschoolers from Mowanjum, all of whom had serious dysentery and malnourishment, which Ann dealt with in her inimitable measure upon measure of love. (She, too, had left an infant, David Duffy, in the care of Jeanette.) I wish I could remember the theme of our Camp and the songs we created. It was outstanding, and we all returned to our original places enriched and so thankful that our capacities had been so terribly but wonderfully stretched! (Thanks Jim Bishop!!)
I realize all of that would not have been possible without the pilot demonstration “Fifth City Preschool!”
Yes, may Ruth Carter’s name be raised with deep respect around the world.
Marilyn
From: oe-bounces@lists.wedgeblade.net [mailto:oe-bounces@lists.wedgeblade.net] On Behalf Of Nancy Grow
Sent: Wednesday, July 31, 2013 4:12 PM
To: Order Ecumenical Community
Subject: Re: [Oe List ...] Ruth Carter -- Iron Woman
At the beginning of our stay in the Fifth City house, June 1966, I was informed that my assignment was Pre-school". I was rebellious. I told Slicker that wasn't the kind of experience I was looking for; I had four kids under six! He said, in true Slicker style, "well, we need a trained theologian in the pre-school and you are it for this year!" I asked if there wasn't an alternative,like getting a job in the city. His response: "The only alternative if you don't accept your assignment is for you and your whole family to leave!"
So I started working in the preschool the next day, with Ruth Marshall, Ruth Carter, and several others. There was no printed curriculum in those days. The four areas rotated among the teachers, each of whom was supposed to deliver us a slip of paper with instructions what to do before the class began. Sometimes some of us JUST made it! Because I kept yapping about how the curriculum should be worked our in advance and published by the week the previous Friday afternoon. The result was that I was assigned to preschool for two more years, to June of 1968. By then we had the first year long curriculum "mimeographed" and had taught the three and four year olds to write and read their own "book". (My name is Jerry. I like apples. I don't like potatoes. I have a brother. His name is Paul......" About 10 pages , one sentence to a page, that they could read aloud in front of the group and shock and horrify their older brrothers and sisters. Ruth Carter's son got in trouble the first day at Stewart School by asking when they would start reading; he was bored with toys!
Ruth was one of the great reading teachers and suggesters of curriculum.
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Wednesday, July 31, 2013 9:57 AM
Subject: Re: [Oe List ...] Ruth Carter -- Iron Woman
I would say that the Imaginal Education was developed about the same historical time as the Fifth City Preschool curriculum. The intention of the curriculum was to be a grounding example of imaginal education.
So the 4 parts of the preschool curriculum were
Lela, Sarah, Kaze, . . . and all the others:
maybe I do not have level 2 and 3 correct?
Paula
On Wed, Jul 31, 2013 at 1:43 AM, the telfords <thetelfords@gmail.com> wrote:
Dear Colleagues
Although I never actually met Ruth, her name and her contribution to our common mission is lodged in my memory.
Now, a question - was the curriculum which was developed in 5th City the foundation for what later became known as Imaginal Education?
This coming weekend the Blue Mountains East Timor Friendship Committee, which Elaine & I are members of, are hosting a visit by Dulce Soares, the East Timor government's Vice-Minister for Pre-School and Basic (primary) Education - the ET Government has recently launched a new Pre-School initiative to establish pre-schools widely across the nation and I understand they are at the stage of putting together a curriculum.
I was meeting with a couple of members of our organising team this morning and we were discussing what would be an appropriate gift to give to the Vice-Minister, and having just read about Ruth and the 5th City curriculum before I went to the meeting, I said I could possibly come up with a gift related to that.
Is there something I could download which at least would give her an introduction to our approach to early learning/development?
Any suggestions you can make in the next 24 hours will be most welcome.
Grace & Peace
John
On Wed, Jul 31, 2013 at 3:37 PM, Isobel A Bishop <isobeljimbish@optusnet.com.au> wrote:
Dear Lela,
Thank you for this tribute to Ruth.
I remember her very well at S '68, when a bunch of Aussie children came over.
I did not know here well either, and yet was very impressed with her style of ease and competence.
We appreciate what you all have written..
In peace,
Isobel Bishop
On 31/07/2013, at 11:48 AM, Ken Fisher <hkf232@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Likewise, Ken
>
>
> On 2013-07-30, at 4:19 PM, Charles Hahn wrote:
>
> Hi Lela! What a tribute!!! I knew Ruth, but not that well. Your
> comments really hold her up for the world to see. Thanks,
> Charles
>
> On Tue, Jul 30, 2013 at 2:28 PM, Lela Jahn <lelajahn@hotmail.com> wrote:
>> Ruth and I were tied at the hip for the 3 years in the late 60's when I was
>> the director of the 5th City Preschool and she was my right and left hand.
>> She and I climbed many mountains together -- attending a national preschool
>> workshop because the curriculum received a National 1st place award from the
>> Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO), receiving teaching machines from IBM
>> for the 4 year olds which got our picture in the newspaper because of the
>> audacity of believing machines could teach, making really cool uniforms for
>> all the teachers, designing the new preschool building on 5th Avenue with
>> Sheldon Hill --- the list goes on and on. Yet there were also many valleys
>> where Ruth never flinched, never complained. She stood firm in her belief
>> that the 5th City Preschool was a demonstration to the world of the
>> importance of providing all children from 4 months on up with a positive
>> self-image.
>>
>>
>>
>> In turn, Ruth Carter, became my mentor, my symbol, of the Iron Woman
>> standing in the desert with arms out stretched knowing that the desert could
>> become the promised land. And it did because she lived --- and still does in
>> the lives of all she touched.
>>
>>
>>
>> Lela Jahn
>>
>>
>>
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>>
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--
Paula
Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.
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